Job Costing Software for Australian Contractors

Know what every job really costs. While it's running.

The winning estimate becomes the job budget, and every timesheet, purchase order and invoice lands on its cost code from that day. Certified progress claims sit on the same project records as the costs, so the claimed position and the true cost per job always read together.

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Trusted by construction companies of every size, worldwide

Every cost lands on the job that caused it

Job costing software for Australian contractors keeps actual cost per job live, claim to claim: labour at cost rates the day hours are worked, purchase orders and subcontracts posted as commitments when they are raised, and invoices matched to their cost codes as they land. The winning estimate becomes the working budget without re-keying, and certified progress claims sit on the same records as the costs, so what a job has claimed and what it has actually cost read together per job and across the portfolio.

Contractor in a hard hat on a construction site

Labour hours priced, not just counted

Site timesheets carry cost rates, so crew hours turn into labour cost on the job the day they are worked.

Committed before it is spent

Purchase orders and subcontracts post to the job as commitments the moment they are raised, so the cost is visible months before the invoice arrives.

The estimate is the baseline

The winning estimate becomes the job budget without re-keying, so actuals are always compared against the numbers the job was priced on.

Change orders priced into the job

Change orders carry their cost impact onto the affected cost codes when they are approved, so scope growth never hides inside the base budget.

True cost feeds the next bid

Every job closes with its full actual-cost record per cost code, so the next estimate is priced from what jobs really cost. Certified progress claims sit on the same records, so the claimed and actual positions stay side by side through to the final claim.

Engineers reviewing job costs on a tablet and laptop on site

Committed Cost Visibility

Purchase orders and subcontract packages post to the job as commitments the moment they are raised. The gap between committed and invoiced stays visible, so nothing arrives at the final account unannounced.

POs and subcontracts land on the budget when raised

Committed versus invoiced per cost code

Amendments tracked against the original order

Cost visible months before the invoice

Estimate to Budget

Win the job and the priced estimate becomes the cost-coded budget, line by line. Job costing starts from the numbers the work was sold on, with no re-keying and no translation loss between sales and delivery.

Winning estimate becomes the working budget

Cost codes carried from pricing to delivery

No re-keying between estimating and delivery

Margin visible per line from day one

Labour Cost Tracking

Timesheets from site carry cost rates, so hours become labour cost on the right job and cost code the day they are worked, not when payroll closes the month.

Site hours captured against jobs and cost codes

Cost rates applied to recorded hours

Labour cost visible daily per job

Expenses and plant time recorded with the work

Actuals and Invoice Matching

Supplier and subcontractor invoices land against their commitments and cost codes, with retention handled, so actual cost per job is reconciled continuously rather than quarterly.

Invoices matched to purchase orders

Retention tracked per subcontract

Actuals posted to the originating cost code

One record from order to payment

True Cost and CVR Reporting

CVR (cost value reconciliation) per job and across the portfolio, built from the same records site and commercial teams work in. Budget, committed, actual and forecast sit on one screen.

CVR (cost value reconciliation) per job

Budget, committed, actual and forecast together

Portfolio view across all live jobs

Custom KPIs from the same cost records

Frequently Asked Questions: Construction Job Costing

What is job costing in construction?

Job costing tracks what each job actually costs by coding labour, materials, plant and subcontractor spend to the job and cost code that caused it, as the cost is incurred. Compared against the budget the winning estimate created, it shows the true position per job while the work is still running, not after the final account.

How does Archdesk track job costs?

The winning estimate becomes the cost-coded job budget, and from that point every timesheet, purchase order, subcontract and invoice lands on its cost code. Committed cost posts when an order is raised, actuals post when invoices are matched, and CVR (cost value reconciliation) shows budget, committed, actual and forecast together per job and across the portfolio.

How is labour cost captured per job?

Site timesheets carry cost rates, so recorded hours become labour cost on the right job and cost code the day they are worked rather than when payroll closes the month. Expenses and plant time are recorded with the same work.

What is the difference between committed and actual cost?

Committed cost is money you have promised: purchase orders and subcontract packages post to the job the moment they are raised. Actual cost is money invoiced against those commitments. Archdesk keeps both visible per cost code, so a job’s true position is known months before the invoices arrive.

Can job costing feed the next estimate?

Yes. Every job closes with a complete actual-cost record per cost code, so estimators price the next bid from what jobs really cost. Because the estimate, the budget and the actuals share the same cost codes, the comparison needs no re-keying.

How do progress claims and retention fit into the payment side of job costing?

In Australian practice, subcontractor payment runs on progress claims under security of payment legislation: the claim, the payment schedule and the certified amount each sit against dates that matter. Documents, approvals and payment records live on the same job record in Archdesk, so the paper trail sits with the job cost numbers.

How do progress claims fit into job costing?

Certified progress claims sit on the same project records as commitments and costs, so the claimed, certified and actual cost positions read together per job and across the portfolio, from the first claim to the final one.

Does Archdesk integrate with Xero?

Yes. Archdesk is a certified Xero partner, so job cost records and the ledger stay in step without double entry, and finance keeps working in its own system.

Learning the process? Read the construction job costing guide. Comparing options? See the best construction job costing software compared. Or browse all job costing and cost control guides.

This page is about what each job really costs against the priced numbers. Setting and managing the budget is construction budgeting, and live actual-versus-estimate control with the CVR is project cost controls. The priced numbers the job is costed against start life in construction estimating software, and committed cost lands through construction procurement.